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English Guide - Part 2
LESSON TWO
(Using “Aren’t”, “Isn’t” or “Ain’t”)
In the motion picture “Boy’s Town”, Spencer Tracy portrayed Father Flannigan. During the performance, one of the orphan boys was seen carrying another boy on his back, “piggy-back” style. The boy bearing the load said to Father Flannigan the famous lines, “He ain’t heavy, father. He’s my brother”. We will use those two sentences as our examples.
EXAMPLES:
(1) “He ain’t heavy, father. He’s my brother.”
(2) “He isn’t heavy, father. He’s my brother.”
(3) “He aren’t heavy, father. He’s my brother.”
First, the words “ain’t” and “isn’t”, which are verbs in the above sentences, refer to a singular subject. The word “aren’t” refers to a plural subject. Since we are talking about one person (he), then we can eliminate example (3). That leaves examples (1) and (2) to consider. Believe it or not, both verbs are acceptable. The dictionary lists both words as acceptable words in the English language. But the PREFERRED word to use is “isn’t” (a contraction of “is not”), because the word “ain’t” is derived from slang usage, and purportedly is used as a contraction for “am not”, “is not” and “are not”. You would not say, “He am not heavy, father. He’s my brother”. In this case, it could be said that “isn’t” is more correct, and that is the word which should be used. Example (2) would be the correct PREFERRED example, and, even though vaguely acceptable, example (1), because of its slang origin, and its ambiguous use, should be eliminated.
When speaking of two or more persons (or things), the word “aren’t” should be used because it refers to multiple persons (plural). “Aren’t” is a contraction of “are not”.
RULE FOUR: When two or more words could be acceptably applied to a sentence, in every case use the “PREFERRED word”. In all cases, avoid saying the word “ain’t”.
LESSON THREE
(Using “Saw” or “Seen”)
Which to use? “Seen” or “saw”? The following examples refer to the act of someone observing an event or happening.
EXAMPLES:
(1) “I seen the wreck when it happened.”
(2) “I saw the wreck when it happened.”
Of the two examples shown, you have a fifty-fifty chance of getting it right.
All too often, especially on TV, the misuse of one of the above words is frequently heard. To the educated person, such misusage stands out like a sore thumb. Yet it is heard over and over again.
The word “seen” is the past participle of the word “see”. “Seen”, therefore, REFERS to something that happened in the past, or something that has already transpired. “Saw”, on the other hand, is the past tense form of “see”, a present tense word. In effect, it actually has the same meaning as see, but again in the past. Therefore, “seen” REFERS back to “see”, and “saw” is the SAME WORD as “see”, but in the past tense. Consequently, the correct example above is (2), and the one that contains the correct word usage. Example (1) is eliminated.
If you use the word “seen” incorrectly, try replacing the word with “saw”, and practice using “saw” until it comes out naturally. Only then will you break the habit of saying “seen”, which, in this case, is wrong.
RULE FIVE: As a general rule, the tense of the questionable word must be determined. The correct word to use is that which means the same as, but of a different tense, the similar present tense word.
LESSON FOUR
(Using “Can” or “May”)
Another word frequently used incorrectly is either “can” or “may”.
EXAMPLES:
(1) “Mother, can I go swimming?”
(2) “Mother, may I go swimming?”
Again, you have a fifty-fifty chance of choosing the correct word.
Let’s analyze both words. What connotation pertains to each word? By determining the meaning of each word, it should be plainly evident which is correct and which is incorrect.
The word “can”, in this case, means “ability”. In example (1), translated word for word, the question is, “Do I have the ability to go swimming?”. Example (2), the word “may” refers to obtaining permission to go swimming. Since the intent of the question is obviously to ask permission to go swimming, then example (2) represents the correct usage. Example (1) is eliminated.
RULE SIX: Determine meanings of the choice words, and use the word that conveys the intent of your message.
LESSON FIVE
(Using “To” or “Too”)
Another common mistake often made when writing documents is whether to use the word “to” or “too”. Many times the writer will use either one or the other incorrectly, both being susceptible to misuse.
EXAMPLES:
(1) “Johnny went too the store also.”
(2) “Johnny went to the store too.”
(3) “Johnny went to the store to.”
(4) “Johnny also went too the store.”
The word “to” has many meanings, none of which refer to “also” or “in addition”, which is exactly how the word “too” is defined. The word “to”, as used in the examples above, means “in the direction of” or “toward”. Literally translated, example (1) states, “Johnny went also the store also”. Eliminate example (1). How about example (2)? Translation of (2) is, “Johnny went in the direction of the store also”, which is precisely the meaning of example (2), as written. Example (2) contains correct word usage. The wording of example (3) is translated to mean, “Johnny went in the direction of the store in the direction of” and example (4) states, “Johnny also went also the store”, Both examples, (3) and (4) are eliminated.
RULE SEVEN: If your intent is “also” (“in addition to”), or to be used in a “quantitative sense”, use “too”. Otherwise, use “to”.
LESSON SIX
(Using “Don’t” or “Doesn’t”)
Should I use “don’t”? Or perhaps I should use “doesn’t”. Sometimes not knowing which word to use in a sentence is perplexing. With Rule Number Eight, it is easy to determine which word to use.
EXAMPLES:
(1) ”He don’t know that today is Tuesday.”
(2) “He doesn’t know that today is Tuesday.”
In order to use correct English, it is necessary to analyze almost everything you say or write before you do so. The word “don’t” is a contraction of the words “do not”. The word “doesn’t” is a contraction of the words “does not”. Think about it. Would you say, “He do not know that today is Tuesday”? No, you would not. Eliminate example (1), which means that example (2) has the correct words to use. Literally translated, example (2) states, “He does not know that today is Tuesday”.
RULE EIGHT: In most cases, use “doesn’t” instead of “don’t”, unless the thought being conveyed is “do not”. When using contractions, convert them to the original meanings, and sound out the result. You may then choose one or the other, and most likely you will be correct in your choice.
TIP: When speaking or writing in the 3rd Person Singular, always use “doesn’t”. When using 3rd Person Plural, always use “don’t”.
LESSON SEVEN
(Using “You” or “Yous”)
(and “So” or “So’s”)
One of the most misused non-words you hear on TV is when someone is trying to talk to multiple persons. The word is “yous”, which some people think is meant to be a synonym for the word “you”. Apparently they think that “you” pertains to one person, and only one person. If they are speaking to more than one person, then somehow they get the impression that “yous” is plural for the singular “you”. This thinking is completely erroneous.
“Yous” is called a “non-word” because there is no such word in the English dictionary. The practice of using this non-word (slang), originated, it is believed, in or near Brooklyn, N. Y., where it is widely used. However, there are other areas of the country to which its use has spread. Regardless of where it is spoken, the fact remains that it is incorrect English.
The word “you” is both singular and plural, and should be used when referring to, or speaking to, either one person or a group of persons. By adding the “s” at the end of the word does not make it plural. The use of the word is another example of how dialects are started.
EXAMPLES:
(1) “Yous two guys make me sick.”
(2) “You two guys make me sick.”
RULE NINE: Never say “yous” under any circumstances. Simply say “you” which covers both singular and plural. That is correct English.
Another example of the misuse of words occurs with the non-word “so’s”.
Even though certain words may be contracted by using an apostrophe, there are other words that CANNOT be contracted.
Many people attempt to shorten a word by making it a contractual word, but in reality, these people are nothing more than inventors. Only accepted words may be contracted, and all others may NOT be contracted.
EXAMPLES:
(1) “My sister is married. So’s my brother.”
(2) “So is your old man.”
(3) “So’s your old man.”
(4) “My sister is married. So is my brother.”
It is suggested that you refer to the dictionary before inventing words. If the word is an acceptable contraction, the contraction will appear in the dictionary as its own word, and will stand alone. If the contracted word does NOT appear in the dictionary, then use substitute words. In the above examples, two of them are correct. Since “so’s” has been established as a non-word, examples (1) and (3) are incorrect and eliminated. That leaves examples (2) and (4) as the correct sentences.
If these are habits of yours, undoubtedly they will be hard to break, but, with fortitude, you will succeed.
LESSON EIGHT
(Using “Dis”, “Dat”, “Dese”, “Dem”, “Dose” & “Dere”)
Let’s stop for just a minute and analyze the way you speak. Do you say
“dis”, “dat”, “dese”, “dem”, “dose” and “dere” for “this”, “that”, “these”, “them”, “those” and “there? These are called the “D” words. Listen to yourself carefully, and try to pronounce each syllable distinctly. Do your peers also say the “D” words?
If the answers to the above questions are “yes”, then you will have to make a special effort to break this particular habit of speaking incorrectly. The use of these words indicates a trend called “lazy tongue”. It is absolutely necessary to include the letters “th” when speaking these words. “Th-is”, “th-at”, “th-ese”, “th-em”, “th-ose” and “th-ere” all have the letters “th” within the words, and must be used in the correct pronunciation.
“Lazy tongue” originated in the slums, mostly among blacks, who found it much easier to say certain words by slurring over them. Today the use is widespread, among blacks and whites alike, and has become commonplace in conversations in many places. In the more educated society, those words stand out prominently. Even though it may not be true, it indicates a form of illiteracy towards the speaker, and a special effort should be made to break the habit of “lazy tongue”.
RULE TEN: Pronounce the “th” in the above mentioned words. Practice saying these words until you utter them correctly without thinking about it. When you succeed in doing this, congratulations will definitely be in order, because you will have overcome the bad habit and misconceptions that the “D” words imply.
LESSON NINE
(Using Probably - Probaly)
Here is one more frequently misused word. Of course, the correct word is “probably” (pronounced prob-bub-bly), but you often hear the word slurred over to the point that it comes out “probaly” (pronounced prob-ba-ly - without the second “b”).
This is merely a matter of pronunciation. People sometimes seem to have a penchant for pronouncing this word incorrectly, and again, perhaps it goes back to their childhood, and the way the word was spoken (dialect) by their parents and peers.
To speak correct English, it is sometimes necessary to overcome bad habits. As in this case, try pronouncing each word one syllable at a time. This is called processing a word (in your mind) to determine the correct pronunciation. With a little practice, you can soon pronounce words correctly just by sounding out the syllables of the word, and utilizing them in your speech. Be sure to include ALL letters within the word to arrive at its correct pronunciation.
RULE ELEVEN: Break words down into syllables, and pronounce each syllable distinctly when speaking, putting emphasis on the final syllable. This will prevent the sentence from “trailing off”, and, by doing so, sometimes making the words indiscernible.
LESSON TEN
(Using You Know - You Know What I Mean?)
In order to assure themselves that the intent of their conversation is being understood, some people will very often say, “you know what I mean?”, as if to say, “you DO know what I mean, don’t you?”.
Perhaps this is a habit learned early from their peers or parents. Actually, some people do not think as fast as others, and this could be their way of pausing in their speaking while they are thinking of the next thing to say.
The words “you know” have the same connotation.
It is very disconcerting to be engaged in a conversation with someone who continually uses one, or both, of these phrases.
When used by someone speaking to you, the thought portrayed by the speaker appears to be, “Are you smart enough to know what I mean?” Of course, it is not believed that such is really the thought of the speaker, but the recipient of the conversation is led to believe, through the repeated use of the phrase, that it is exactly the meaning.
Avoid saying these two phrases. If you need to pause in your speaking, then do so with silence. Both of these phrases are completely unnecessary, add nothing to the conversation, and the redundancy is aggravating to the listener, to say the least.
RULE TWELVE: Avoid saying the two phrases, “you know” and “you know what I mean?”, or the words “uh” and/or “um”. Instead, substitute silence when needed.
Your conversation will be more interesting to the listener, and much less distracting.
(Click on "ENGLISH GUIDE - Part 3" below to continue.)
English Guide - Part 3
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